HealthCanada

In forceFully rolled out: all remaining eligible residents, in particular uninsured adults aged 18 to 64, can apply since May 2025.

Canadian Dental Care Plan and the interim Canada Dental Benefit

Federal dental coverage for residents without dental insurance and with an adjusted family net income below $90,000, with no co-pays below $70,000. It started with an interim benefit for children under 12 (Dental Benefit Act, November 2022), then the Canadian Dental Care Plan, an administrative programme of Health Canada announced in Budget 2023 ($13.0bn over five years). Enrolment opened by age group from December 2023 and to every eligible resident in May 2025.

Updated: November 5, 2026

At a glance

Reference text

Dental Care Measures Act / Loi sur les mesures de soins dentaires (S.C. 2023, c. 26, s. 508 — enacted by the Budget Implementation Act, 2023, No. 1). The plan itself is established under the authority of the Department of Health Act; the interim benefit was created by the Dental Benefit Act (S.C. 2022, c. 14, s. 2)[1][4][2]

No. S.C. 2023, c. 26, s. 508 · June 22, 2023

Read the text ↗

Carried by

  • Jean-Yves Duclos[3][7]Minister of Health, Justin Trudeau government — sponsor of Bill C-31 (interim Canada Dental Benefit) · 2022 · Initiator
  • Chrystia Freeland[4][11]Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance — Budget 2023 and sponsor of Bill C-47 (Budget Implementation Act, 2023, No. 1), which enacted the Dental Care Measures Act · 2023 · Initiator

Implementation

  • Health Canada, with a third-party benefits administrator (Canadian Dental Care Plan)
  • Canada Revenue Agency — interim Canada Dental Benefit (2022-2024) and employers’ dental-coverage reporting on information returns

Status

In force

since May 2025[15]

Fully rolled out: all remaining eligible residents, in particular uninsured adults aged 18 to 64, can apply since May 2025.

Stated objective

Make dental care affordable for people who have no dental insurance: cover residents with an adjusted family net income below $90,000, without co-pays below $70,000, starting with children and then extending to seniors, persons with disabilities and finally all eligible adults — the interim child benefit serving as a bridge « while working towards the development of a long term national dental care program ».[10][11][12][2]

According to the federal government (Budgets 2022, 2023 and 2024) and the preamble of the Dental Benefit Act

  • Uninsured people to be covered by the plan

    9,000,000

    by 2025 (up to) · according to Budget 2024[12]

Main measures

  • Interim Canada Dental Benefit (2022-2024): a tax-free payment per child under 12 with no dental insurance — $650 if adjusted family net income is below $70,000, $390 between $70,000 and $80,000, $260 between $80,000 and $90,000 (half for shared custody) — for care received from October 2022 to June 2023 and from July 2023 to June 2024, at most two benefits per child. The parent had to be receiving the Canada child benefit; the Canada Revenue Agency administered the applications.[2][8][7]
  • Canadian Dental Care Plan: dental coverage for residents without dental insurance whose adjusted family net income is below $90,000, with no co-pays below $70,000; administered by Health Canada with the support of a third-party benefits administrator.[11][15]
  • Legal basis: the plan is « established under the authority of the Department of Health Act », i.e. an administrative programme, not a statutory entitlement. The Dental Care Measures Act only governs its data: employers report employees’ access to employer dental coverage on their information returns (from the 2023 tax year, $100 penalty per violation), the Canada Revenue Agency passes it to Health Canada, and Health Canada may collect applicants’ Social Insurance Number.[1]
  • Phased enrolment: seniors aged 87 and over from December 2023, 77-86 from January 2024, 72-76 from February, 70-71 from March, 65-69 from May 2024; holders of a valid Disability Tax Credit certificate and children under 18 from June 2024; all remaining eligible residents from May 2025.[12][15]
  • Funding (Budget 2023): $13.0bn over five years from 2023-24 and $4.4bn ongoing for the plan; $250m over three years from 2025-26 and $75m ongoing for an Oral Health Access Fund (rural and remote communities, vulnerable groups); $23.1m over two years for Statistics Canada to collect oral-health data.[11]

In data

People eligible for the plan who avoided dental care because of the cost, before it paid for care[15]

past 12 months, survey from November 2023 to March 2024

People eligible for the plan who avoided dental care because of the cost, before it paid for care — chart values
Age groupAvoided visits to an oral health professionalAvoided recommended dental care
12 to 1724.2%19.2%
18 to 6459%46.7%
65 and older35.6%30%
All eligible, 12 and older47.3%38.3%

Scale starts at 0% · Statistics Canada, 2023-2024 Canadian Oral Health Survey: residents of the provinces aged 12 and over who may qualify for the plan (income below $90,000, no insurance or public coverage only). Baseline before the plan paid for care; adults aged 18 to 64 were the last to be able to enrol (May 2025).

Key figures

Health expenditure

11.3% GDP

2024

OECDSee the card →

Children supported by the interim Canada Dental Benefit

406,000

December 2022 – April 2024 (more than) · Observed

according to the government, Budget 2024[12]

People who had dental care covered by the plan

1,000,000

by December 2024 · Observed

according to the government, 2024 Fall Economic Statement[13][15]

3 million people were then signed up, mostly children and seniors; adults aged 18 to 64 could not yet enrol.

People benefiting from the plan

5,000,000

2025-26 fiscal year · Estimate

according to the government, Budget 2025 (rounded figure, fiscal year still in progress at publication)[14]

Eligible people who avoided visiting an oral health professional because of the cost

47.3%

November 2023 – March 2024, before the plan paid for care · Observed

Statistics Canada, Canadian Oral Health Survey[15]

Timeline

  1. Announced

    Budget 2022 announces federal dental care for Canadians[10]

    $5.3bn over five years from 2022-23 and $1.7bn ongoing for Health Canada: under-12s in 2022, then under-18s, seniors and persons living with a disability in 2023, full implementation by 2025.

  2. Under debate

    Bill C-31 (interim dental benefit) introduced in the House of Commons[3]

  3. Bill C-31 passes second reading in the House of Commons, 212 to 113[3][5]

    A Conservative reasoned amendment asking the House to decline second reading, « since the bill will fuel inflation », was first negatived by 115 votes to 212.

  4. Third reading in the House of Commons: 172 to 138[6][3]

    Liberal, NDP and Green members voted for; Conservative and Bloc Québécois members and one independent voted against.

  5. In force

    Royal assent: the Dental Benefit Act comes into force[2][3]

    Interim stage: a benefit for uninsured children under 12 in families under $90,000, for care received between October 2022 and June 2024.

  6. Applications open for the interim Canada Dental Benefit[2][13]

  7. Budget 2023: $13.0bn over five years for the Canadian Dental Care Plan[11]

    And $4.4bn ongoing for Health Canada, of which $6bn over four years from 2024-25 and $1.7bn ongoing come from the dental funding already provided in Budget 2022. Coverage was to begin by the end of 2023.

  8. Royal assent to the Budget Implementation Act, 2023, No. 1, which enacts the Dental Care Measures Act[1][4]

    From the 2023 tax year, employers must state on their information returns whether each employee or their family had access to employer dental coverage on 31 December; the information goes to Health Canada to administer the plan.

  9. Parliamentary Budget Officer costs the plan at $10.1bn over five years[9]

    Assuming provinces and territories keep their own dental programmes; if they reduced or ended them, the federal cost could rise by up to almost $5bn over five years.

  10. In force

    Canadian Dental Care Plan launched: enrolment opens to seniors aged 87 and over[12][15]

    Permanent plan, opened in stages by age group (seniors from December 2023 to May 2024, Disability Tax Credit holders and children under 18 in June 2024).

  11. Budget 2024: more than 1.7 million people approved for the plan[12]

    The budget sets the enrolment calendar by age group and states that the interim benefit has supported more than 406,000 children.

  12. End of the interim Canada Dental Benefit; children can then enrol in the plan[2][12]

  13. Fall Economic Statement: 3 million people signed up, 1 million have had care covered[13]

    Mostly children and seniors, according to the government, which puts the average saving at about $730 in the first year.

  14. In force

    Plan open to every eligible resident[15]

    Fully rolled out: all remaining eligible residents, in particular uninsured adults aged 18 to 64, can apply since May 2025.

  15. Budget 2025: 5 million people benefiting from the plan in 2025-26[14]

The debate

Citoyen takes no position: arguments are reported as their authors put them.

According to its supporters

  • The Minister of Health, Jean-Yves Duclos, argued that oral health is essential to overall health and that children have the most to lose: tooth decay is the most common chronic disease among Canadian children and dental treatment is the leading cause of day surgery under general anaesthesia for children under five; the benefit was presented as a first step toward a national programme.[7]
  • The government points to a coverage gap: a third of Canadians have no dental insurance and, in 2018, more than one in five reported avoiding dental care because of the cost — delayed preventive care leading to costlier treatment, worse health and time off school and work.[11]
  • The NDP leader, Jagmeet Singh, whose party voted for Bill C-31, claimed the benefit as a gain won by his party for parents who had to choose between paying for their children’s dental care and putting food on the table.[7][6]

According to its opponents

  • The Conservative opposition moved that the House decline to pass Bill C-31 « since the bill will fuel inflation and fails to address the government’s excessive borrowing and spending »; Conservative MP Stephen Ellis questioned the government’s ability to manage a new programme when it had not delivered the promised mental health transfer.[5][7]
  • The Bloc Québécois called the bill a federal encroachment on Quebec’s and the provinces’ jurisdiction over health care, noted that Quebec already covers dental care for young children, and argued that Ottawa should instead raise health transfers.[7][6]
  • Without opposing it, the Parliamentary Budget Officer warns of cost risks: its $10.1bn five-year estimate assumes provinces keep their own dental programmes — otherwise up to almost $5bn more — and federal administration costs could be higher than assumed.[9]

Indicators to watch

  • Health expenditure, % of GDP · OCDESee the card →
  • Health spending per capita · OCDE / Banque mondialeno Citoyen card yet
  • Cost-related avoidance of dental care among people eligible for the plan · Statistique Canadano Citoyen card yet
  • People enrolled in the plan and people who received covered care · Santé Canadano Citoyen card yet

Sources

  1. [1]Dental Care Measures Act (S.C. 2023, c. 26, s. 508) — consolidated text, current to 2026-10-19 — Justice Laws Website (Department of Justice Canada), June 22, 2023
  2. [2]Dental Benefit Act (S.C. 2022, c. 14, s. 2) — consolidated text, current to 2026-10-19 — Justice Laws Website (Department of Justice Canada), November 17, 2022
  3. [3]C-31 (44-1) — An Act respecting cost of living relief measures related to dental care and rental housing (Cost of Living Relief Act, No. 2 (Targeted Support for Households)) — LEGISinfo — Parliament of Canada
  4. [4]C-47 (44-1) — An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on March 28, 2023 (Budget Implementation Act, 2023, No. 1) — LEGISinfo — Parliament of Canada
  5. [5]Vote No. 194 — 2nd reading of Bill C-31 (reasoned amendment), 19 October 2022 — House of Commons of Canada, October 19, 2022
  6. [6]Vote No. 205 — 3rd reading and adoption of Bill C-31, 27 October 2022 — House of Commons of Canada, October 27, 2022
  7. [7]House of Commons Debates (Hansard), 44th Parliament, 1st Session, Sitting No. 100 — Cost of Living Relief Act, No. 2, second reading — House of Commons of Canada, September 22, 2022
  8. [8]Legislative Costing Note — Bill C-31 (44-1): Canada Dental Benefit — Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer, October 20, 2022
  9. [9]Legislative Costing Note — Bill C-47: New Canadian Dental Care Plan — Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer, June 28, 2023
  10. [10]Budget 2022 — Chapter 6: Strong Public Health Care (6.1 A Stronger Health Care System — Dental Care for Canadians) — Department of Finance Canada, April 7, 2022
  11. [11]Budget 2023 — Chapter 2: Investing in Public Health Care and Affordable Dental Care (2.2 Dental Care for Canadians) — Department of Finance Canada, March 28, 2023
  12. [12]Budget 2024 — Chapter 2: Lifting Up Every Generation (The Canadian Dental Care Plan, Table 2.2) — Department of Finance Canada, April 16, 2024
  13. [13]2024 Fall Economic Statement — Chapter 1: Reducing Everyday Costs — Department of Finance Canada, December 16, 2024
  14. [14]Budget 2025 — Chapter 3: Empowering Canadians (Figure 3.1, Number of Canadians Benefitting from Social Programs, 2025-26) — Department of Finance Canada, November 4, 2025
  15. [15]Characteristics of cost-related avoidance of oral health services among people in Canada eligible for the Canadian Dental Care Plan (Health Reports, 82-003-X) — Statistics Canada, August 20, 2025